A guide to the best student broadband deals

Date: 06/09/23

Author: Anthony Harrison

Celebrating new beginnings

Moving away from home can be stressful enough on its own, let alone dealing with enrolling into university for the first time or returning to uni life. Not to worry, we’re hopeful you have a promising academic year ahead.

Perhaps you’ve opted to live outside of halls or you’re now a second-year fledgling, either way, moving into a new home with your flat mates, or into your own pad, will most likely no longer afford you the coveted all bills included” household status. Oh, what lovely days they were...

Fear not! Today, students have an array of amazing freebies paving the way for them to save a tidy sum – including the best broadband deals.

A speedy and affordable student broadband connection can help you stay in touch with friends and family, binge-watch your favourite shows online and submit your assignments on time and with ease. But which student broadband provider or student broadband package speed should you choose? Community Fibre can help you with that, so let’s dig in.

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What is student broadband?

A student broadband is just a regular broadband that provides offers with a student discount applied to its final cost or with additional, special “perks” like bundle services or flexible contracts.

How to choose the right student broadband provider

Before committing to a broadband provider, there are some standard things you should check, like affordability, whether you can get their service in your new location and the quality of their broadband services – whether your broadband is non-fibre, fibre or actual 100% full fibre makes a big difference to speed and reliability. More speed will help with most online, but many broadband providers tend to fall short on quality, making them an unreliable network to invest your precious coins in for the year. If you’re just starting out and want to learn a little more about broadband speeds, we recommend checking your current broadband speed to give you an idea on the quality of your current connection. You can also check out our in-depth broadband speed page here, which features a handy internet speed checker.

It’s also good to consider how long the contract is and what their cancellation policy is. Be mindful that most students move homes each year, so committing to a longer term isn’t always best since you may end up paying an early cancellation fee. In some cases, you may even be charged for an originally “free” router if you cancel your contract earlier than scheduled.

It’s also wise to consider the different speeds each provider can offer to ensure you get the most appropriate broadband speed for your needs and budget – there's no point in purchasing a cheap deal that offers very little speed if it can’t support your household internet needs.

What is a good internet speed for university students?

So, you’ve chosen a provider now how do you know which speed is right for you and your pals?

You should also consider how many people you will be living with and how many devices you all intend to connect to the internet. The more devices you connect and use at the same time, the higher your broadband speed will need to be.

Finally, ask yourself what you will all be using your broadband for. If you are in a smaller household and solely use the internet to answer emails, browse the web and access online uni resources, then you probably won’t need a high-speed internet connection.

However, if you are in a medium to large household and you or your housemates are planning on using the internet heavily, to stream on Twitch or YouTube, video call family and friends, upload content to social media, download bulky files, or stream high quality movies or for gaming online, you will benefit from a higher speed broadband to ensure your connection can handle it all.

Entry level speeds: student broadband packages


Package	150 Mbps Fibre Broadband - Student Deal	Full Fibre 100 - Student Deal	M125 - Student Deal	Superfast - Student Deal	Fibre 150
In-contract price	£22/month	£35.99/month	£26.99/month	£25/month	29.95/month
Out-of-contract price	£24/month (9% increase)	£40.99/month (14% increase)	£49/month (82% increase)	£35/month (40% increase)	£39.95/month (33% increase)
The same download and upload speeds?	Yes	No	No	Yes	No
Avg. upload speed	150 Mbps	150 Mbps	132 Mbps	158 Mbps	152 Mbps
Avg. download speed	150 Mbps	30 Mbps	20 Mbps	158 Mbps	30 Mbps
Promotions	3 month’s free	None	No set up fee	3 month’s free	No set up fee

High level speeds: student broadband packages


Package	1 Gbps Fibre Broadband - Student Deal	Full Fibre 900 - Student Deal	M125 - Student Deal	Superfast - Student Deal	Fibre 150
In-contract price	£27/month	£55.99/month	£41.99/month	£40/month	£45/month
Out-of-contract price	£29/month (7% increase)	£60.99/month (9% increase)	£67/month (60% increase)	£60/month (50% increase)	£54.95/month (22% increase)
The same download and upload speeds?	Yes	No	No	Yes	No
Avg. upload speed	920 Mbps	900 Mbps	516 Mbps	900 Mbps	944 Mbps
Avg. download speed	920 Mbps	110 Mbps	52 Mbps	900 Mbps	91 Mbps
Promotions	3 month’s free	None	No set up fee	3 month’s free	No set up fee

Information gathered and correct as of 2nd September 2023

How to get free student broadband — Community Fibre student broadband

Finding a reliable internet provider for a reasonable price can be challenging, especially while you move. Worry not! Given everything we’ve covered so far, there are a few undeniable facts about Community Fibre broadband which makes it the clear broadband choice for students:

Our speeds are the fastest, our prices are unbeatable
Our network uses the UK’s best broadband technology
We are the #1 Best Internet provider on Trustpilot
We give back to London communities
We’re the green choice: 100% full fibre is future-proof, energy-efficient and sustainable.

We also understand that not all students want to pay for a full 12-month contract during university (like most student offers out there), so throughout Freshers Week London, students can sign up to Community Fibre’s 1 Gbps or 150 Mbps 100% full fibre packages for a year and get the first three months free!

For the duration of this promotion period reserved exclusively for London students, we are offering our 1 Gbps 100% full fibre package, ideal for streaming and studying from home without any interruptions, at only £27/month on a 12-month contract – with three months free. Alternatively, students can choose our 150 Mbps 100% full fibre package for £22/month on a 12-month contract – with three months free. Both offers come with a £14.95 setup fee.

Psst - that is 12 months for the price of nine!

And if your plans change, don’t sweat it. We don’t charge a cancellation fee on our 12-month student contract.

To bag yourself three months’ free broadband, all you need to do is check your address for availability and select your package speed. Then, use the promo code STUDENT3M at checkout, as well as sign up to the service using your student email address. Don’t be spooked, but this offer will end on the 31st of October 2023.

Head over to our student page to find out more about this handy deal.